Daydream Believers
by BeBraveLive4Me
Summary: Juderman fanfic! Jude is back from tour and getting ready for school. After a summer away, it seems like everything has changed... She's just not sure if it's for the better.
1. Story of a Girl

_It's hard not knowing…_

_But I guess that's something we all go through._

_It's hard to imagine…_

_But I guess we block out what we don't want to see._

_It's hard to take…_

_But I guess that's what we call "life."_

"Jude? Are you still awake?" Sadie called out as she followed the dim light.

She found Jude sitting in the living room of their apartment, her laptop on her lap. She sat on the couch, under the lamp, cuddled in the robe. Jude's newly blonde ocks were tossed into a messy bun on the top of her head.

Jude glanced up to see Sadie leaning against the hallway opening, looking exhausted. She closed the laptop slightly, but not all the way. "Sorry. Did I wake you?"

Sadie shook her head as she took a few steps and slipped into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed the milk, pouring her a small glass. "I couldn't sleep." She walked into Jude's sight and held up the milk container. "You want some?" Watching Jude shake her head, she put the milk away and joined Jude in the living room. She took a sip of her milk and asked, "What are you doing?"

Yawning, Jude shrugged. "I guess I couldn't sleep either."

"So you're surfing the net?" Sadie questioned with a raised eyebrow and smile.

Jude chuckled lightly and replied, "No. I was just getting a head start on this 'About You' essay." When she saw the look of slightly confusion on Sadie's face, she decided to elaborate. "You know, the cheesy essay you always write at the beginning of the school you so the teacher can get to know you or whatever."

"Oh," Sadie remarked as she realized what Jude was talking about. "So how's it coming?"

With a smile on her face, Jude shook her head towards her sister. Even though they were living together, and as sisters, closer than ever, there were still things that they didn't exactly share with each other. Jude had the heart to write moving song and share them with the entire world, but sometimes she liked to keep her writing to herself.

Sadie smiled at her sister and stood. "Alright, I get it." She yawned and stretched with her empty glass in hand. Dropping the cup off in the sink, Sadie stopped by the living room one last time and announced, "I'm gonna try and get some sleep."

Jude smiled up at her and nodded. "Goodnight, Sadie."

"Goodnight," Sadie cooed back to Jude. She started to walk back to her room, but turned her attention back to Jude. "Don't stay up too late."

Nodding, Jude opened the laptop back to her typing position.

_I wish I could say what's on my mind, but I can't. Truthfully, I'm so muddled I can hardly figure out what exactly I'm pondering. I'm confused, to say the least._

_So much has changed for me in the past year. Some would even say I'm a completely different person. I don't believe that. If anything, I think I've simply grown up, matured._

_Now, some would say I'm different because of my so-called fame. That might be a part of it. Other would say my independence from my parents did it. I'd say that came from my change, not causing my change. A few people would say the friendship changes I've lived through changed me. Still, that fact was only one aspect of my different outlook._

_As much as I'd like to say I did it on my own, I didn't. I have Vincent Spiederman to thank. Not only is he an awesome guitarist and co-writer, and an all-around good guy, he's the love of my life._

_Time and time again, he has supported me with his love and encouragement. Because of him, I have found my strength to stand up against my fears. Because of him, I have a voice to be heard and acknowledged. Because of him, I feel extreme emotions that make me better to understand others as well as myself. Because of him, I am me._

Taking a deep breath, Jude smiled at the thought. She saved the file and closed the program. She smiled at her blank computer screen one more time before closing the laptop and setting it aside. Jude went to her room and closed the door behind her with only happy thoughts.


	2. We've Only Just Begun

Jude rolled over in her bed, not quite ready to wake up. She hit the snooze button for the third time and snuggled back into her pillow. She quickly drifted back to sleep, her red hair a mess. It wasn't until Sadie came barging in that she stirred.

"Wake up, loser!" Sadie stated loudly as she walked into the room with pajamas on. When she only heard Jude groan, Sadie stepped onto Jude's bed and started jumping. "You're gonna be late for school. You're just lucky that your wonderful sister woke up early enough to bother you to WAKE UP!"

"Sadie!" Jude groaned as she threw one of her pillows at her sister. "I'm exhausted…"

Catching the pillow, Sadie continued to bounce around. "Come on, Jude! If you don't wake up, you're gonna be late for school and it's gonna become a bad habit. Then you're going to fail out of school and spend so much time at G Major that Georgia and Darius are gonna get annoyed with you and fire your butt. Then you're gonna stop paying your half of rent, and we'll be sharing not this lovely apartment, but a cardboard box. Wake up!" Sadie bounced closer to the middle of the bed to shake Jude up some more.

Taking her other pillow into her hands, Jude sat up and started swinging at Sadie's legs. Her best chance at getting Sadie to stop jumping was if Sadie was off of her bed. She continued hitting her with her pillow as Sadie jumped. Quickly, Sadie started hitting back. The laughed as they kept swinging and bouncing on the bed.

"Hello?" Tommy knocked as he entered the room. He had a key to their apartment, but felt a little weird barging in whenever he wanted, especially with Jude around now. He turned the corner to find Jude's door open, as well as giggles. He peeked his head in and his jaw instantly dropped. "Holy Harrison fantasy…"

Both of the girls stopped as they saw and heard Tommy. They laughed together as they shot their pillows at Tommy, both hitting him hard. All three of them couldn't help but laugh at the moment. It was great how they could be friends and joke around. Things had definitely changed since the previous year.

Sadie took a minute to glare at him before hopping off of the bed and into his arms. "Good morning…" She kissed him softly.

Lingering in the beauty of the kiss, Tommy pulled away slowly and opened his eyes a minute later. "That's definitely the way to start the morning off." He smiled down at her and then glanced over at Jude. "Aren't you going to be late for school?"

Jude shot Tommy a dirty look as she threw her legs over the edge of the bed. She groaned and replied, "I'm on my way…" She yawned as she stumbled to her bathroom and slammed the door shut.

"Someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Tommy questioned as he held Sadie.

Sadie exhaled deeply and shook her head. She took Tommy's hand and walked him into her room. "No, but someone did stay up late last night." She closed the door behind them and went straight towards her closet.

Sitting down on her bed, Tommy chuckled lightly. "Did I just move from one Harrison room to another?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively at Sadie when she turned to look at him.

"Why do I keep you around?" Sadie questioned as she glared at him. She turned her attention back to her closest and searched for something to wear.

Tommy went behind Sadie and wrapped his arms around her stomach. "Because…" He made a trail of kisses up and down her neck sweetly. "You love me." He kissed her cheek. "And I love you too." He tilted her head back and kissed her on the lips.

Sadie turned around in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. They pulled away to look each other in the eye and smiled at each other. "Oh yeah," Sadie remarked to Tommy's statement.

Brushing a few strands of stray hair out of Sadie's face, Tommy asked, "Didn't I tell you to be ready at 8:00?"

"I had to wake Jude up," Sadie stated in her defense. She turned back to her closet and grabbed a white flutter top as well as a ripped pair of jeans. "I'll be ready in a sec."

With a smirk on his face, Tommy sat back on the bed again. "And I'll be watching over here."

"Hey!" Sadie exclaimed as she threw her pajama top back at him. She faced away from him so all he could see was her bare back. Sadie pulled her other shirt on and then turned back to face him. She turned slightly to the side as she pulled off her shorts and put on her jeans. "I hope you enjoyed the show."

He shrugged as he went back up to her. "That was like bleeping out all the good stuff!" Tommy tugged at the bottom of her shirt and lifted it slightly. "Can you change again?"

Sadie giggled and pushed him back slightly. "You need to be tamed, Tom Quincy." She smiled at him with a twinkle in her eye and turned towards her vanity. "Let me introduce my face to some makeup and then we can hit the road."

Tommy looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you kidding me? You look beautiful, and I'm starving." He tried pleading with her through his eyes.

"Ten minutes, I promise!"

"Alright…" Tommy replied glumly. "Just hurry!"

He slipped out of Sadie's room and back to the living room. He sat down at the couch and glanced over at the stide table with various pictures of Sadie and Jude. He always enjoyed looking at their pictures, even if they were the same ones over and over again. He loved giving them stories or imagining what they were doing as those pictures were snapped. The Harrison girls were his favorites.

Jude stumbled out of her room, trying to pull her boots on as she walked. She almost fell, but caught herself on the wall and resumed putting her boots on. Jude glanced over at Tommy looking at a picture of her and Sadie at the park. "One of Sadie's infamous 'Stay a Kid Forever' days…" She nodded towards him and the picture as she went to the kitchen and grabbed a banana.

Placing the picture back from where he got it, Tommy stood and joined Jude in the kitchen. "That girl definitely knows how to make life interesting," he commented with a smile on his face.

Nodding, Jude took a bite of the banana, "So I take it she's made you play with her?"

With a raised eyebrow and devilish grin on his face, Tommy exhaled deeply. "And how should I answer that..?"

"Tommy!" Jude exclaimed with a shocked expression on her face. "I meant in the playground in a PG sense."

The both of them couldn't help but laugh. It was nice that they could be friends and joke around without so many complications. It wasn't long ago that they'd feel so much tension that it made it hard just being in the same room without some animosity underlying.

"I have played with Sadie in the park… We actually did a few times while you were gone. She missed you a lot." Tommy smiled at Jude. He watched her for a moment and then cleared his throat. "I missed you too."

A smile broke on Jude's face. She stared into his eyes and could tell he was completely sincere. "I missed you guys too. That was probably the hardest part about the tour."

Finishing her banana, Jude threw the peel away in the garbage can. She returned to Tommy and found Sadie skipping out of her room towards them. She laughed, thinking about her sister's quirks.

"Ready!" Sadie stated as she wrapped her arms around Tommy from behind.

Jude leaned back slightly and caught a glance at the time on the microwave. "Shoot," she stated in a low voice. "Late to school on the first day back…" She grabbed her backpack and started towards the door.

Sadie linked her arm with Tommy's and walked towards Jude. "Not if we give you a ride."

Nodding, Tommy smiled. "Just your luck, I drove the Hummer today."

"Good," Jude replied as the three of them went towards the door.

It was a new day and everything seemed to be great. They were off to a good start and nothing could interfere.


	3. Sweet Misery

Tommy pulled up to the curb and put his car in park. "Have a good day, sunshine," he said in an obviously fake, motherly tone.

Smiling, Jude opened her door and got out. She leaned back in and stated, "Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime," Tommy quickly replied. He waited for Jude to close the door before pulling back out onto the street. He smiled sweetly at Sadie to his side as they sped off to get breakfast.

Jude walked up the large front steps of her school. It had been two months since she set foot on school grounds, and it wasn't exactly fun to be back. She could only imagine what horrible schedule she'd get stuck with, having classes without friends, getting a locker in a bad location, or all of the above. Jude took a deep breath before she opened the front door and stepped inside.

"Jude!" Kat screamed from down the hall.

Both of them rushed to each other for a big hug. They squeezed each other tightly, realizing it had been way too long since they last saw each other. "I've missed you so much, Kat!" Jude squealed.

They rocked each other back and forth before pulling away to look at each other. "I've missed you too!" Kat confessed. "How was the tour?"

Jude smiled as they started down the hall towards the main office. "It was great! Performing night after night was amazing, even though I missed everyone way too much." She stuck her hands in her back pockets before looking back over at Kat. "How was your internship?"

Kat took a few quick steps in front of Jude and spun around to show Jude her outfit. "As you can tell, it was amazing." She laughed slightly and smiled at her best friend. "All the clothes and the people… I loved it."

Reaching the office, both of them stood in the line to get their schedules and locker assignments. They smiled at each other for a long while, Kat straightening out her layered shirts, and Jude placing her fingers in the loops of her backpack. Jude hesitated before asking, "Have you seen Jamie yet?"

Pressing her lips together, Kat nodded. "He told me about what happened…" She glanced upwards at Jude, trying to read the look on her face. "He's not angry or anything. It's just kinda weird for him."

"I never meant to hurt him," Jude quickly commented. "Things just… Changed."

Kat smiled, understanding completely. "He just needs some time, Jude."

With a sigh, Jude looked at Kat sadly. "It's been a whole summer, Kat."

Shrugging, Kat gave Jude sympathetic eyes. She couldn't say anything to make the situation better between Jude and Jamie. It's hard when best friends cross that line, because they can never really go back. They just have to move forward. They stepped up and grabbed their schedules. Lucky for them, standing in line together helped them get neighboring lockers as well. Both girls started towards their lockers.

Jude opened her locker first, and looked over at Kat. "So is he like, avoiding me?" Jude finally questioned.

Opening her locker, Kat shook her head. She replied, "He's not avoiding you per se. He's just not going to run up to you in halls or pop up out of nowhere--"

"Hey!" Jamie greeted as Kat closed her locker. He held his hand up like he was frozen in a wave.

Kat laughed lightly and welcomed back, "Hey Jamie."

Jude quickly closed her locker and peeked over to Jamie. "Hey Jamie!"

Putting his hand back down, Jamie's smile became faint. He nodded towards Jude and said, "Hey…" He turned his attention back to Kat. "Please say you have honors algebra first period."

Pulling her schedule out of her pocket, she glanced at her first period class. "I have honors algebra first period!" She smiled up at him and added, "Looks like we have at least one class together."

Jude stepped closer to them, looking down at her schedule. She looked up at them with a scared expression on her face. "I'm in regular algebra."

"Honey, that's a good thing for you," Kat responded with a hand on her shoulder. They all knew Jude has her problems with math classes.

Shaking her head, Jude responded, "No. That just means that's one less class with my friends…" Jude looked at Kat with sad eyes, and then up at Jamie. She wanted to let him know that she still cared, even if he didn't. She still wanted to be his best friend, always and forever.

Knowing the sincerity in her eyes, Jamie gave her an equally sympathetic look. "It's alright, Jude. We've gotta have something togeth—"

"Algebra equals time with my favorite girl!" Spiederman announced as he approached the group. He put his hand on the small of Jude's back and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Much needed time together. I think I'm going into Jude withdrawls!"

"Hey Spied," Kat greeted warmly with a smile.

Spiederman gave Kat a nod and remarked, "You're looking great, as usual." He hesitated, due to the look on Jamie's face, but knew they would have to talk sooner or later. They were friends before Spiederman and Jude started dating, and he wasn't going to lose him now. "Hey Jamie."

Avoiding his eyes, Jamie stayed focused on Jude. "Spied," he stated coldly. Jamie couldn't stand the tension and glanced back towards Kat. "We should get to class. Don't want to be late on the first day."

"Alright… Bye, guys," Kat said as they started to break away from each other.

Knowing that Jude was hurting, Spiederman gave her a hug. He held her close to him and stroked the back of her head. "I'm sorry about that."

Jude hugged him back, embracing his touch. She pulled back to look at his kind eyes and smiled. She knew he meant the best for her, and that was just one of his loving traits. "Thanks, but it's not your fault. Jamie just needs some time to deal."

He brushed her bangs out of her eyes and looked at her curiously. "So you're okay?"

With a smile and a nod, Jude replied, "Yeah. I'm good."

Spiederman hugged her again and kissed her forehead. "Let's get to class." They started down the hall, hand in hand. He wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked, and couldn't help but tickle her sides a few times.


	4. U Got It Bad

Jude and Spiederman walked down the halls, hand in hand, enjoying each other's company. They finally reached their classroom and went in to find the other guys of SME. Wally and Kyle had chosen desks next to each other, sitting on the desks instead of the actual seats. They were talking and laughing as Jude and Spiederman approached them.

"Can the two of you do anything without the other?" Kyle asked with a smirk on his face.

Spiederman shook his head with a smile. He sat on top of the desk in from of Wally and patted for Jude to take the desk in front of him. He turned his attention to Kyle and coolly replied, "Well we probably could, but I don't want to test that out."

"That's so cute…" Wally commented with complete sincerity.

Jude and Spiederman flashed glances between each other before cracking up. Even Kyle joined in for the laughter, leaving a somewhat embarrassed Wally in silence.

Placing her bag on the open desk in front of Spiederman's desk, Jude turned to the boys and stood by his side. "Well thanks, Wally," Just stated quietly as their laughter died.

Spiederman noticed her standing and slid over to one side of the desk, giving her enough room to sit as well. He propositioned, "A seat for my lady?"

Smiling, Jude took the seat and cuddled close to him. "How thought of you!" Jude said to her own surprise. She giggled and then saw the disgusted look on Kyle's face. She rolled her eyes and asked, "What? Should we just uncouple ever time we're around you?"

Raising his hand, Speed interjected before Kyle could answer. "Dude! Say yes and you're waking up with one less eyebrow… It's not even a real option!" Spiederman quickly turned to Jude and questioned, "It's not an option, right..?"

Laughing at his worry for their relationship, Jude reassured, "Right." She leaned her forehead against his and snuck in a quick kiss on the lips before pulling away.

"I-I have no idea… How I lasted all tour with you two…" Kyle nervously remarked as he sat down in his seat.

Still with complete sincerity, Wally stated, "You're just jealous of the beautiful love they share. The fact that they found each other at such a young age and make such rocking music together astounds me. I cannot fully express my love for the Juderman—"

"Wally…" the other three called out in unison.

Jude simply smiled and shook her head as she slid off of the desk. She made her way to her own seat and noticed a girl she knew in front of her. They started talking about how their summers went in a casual conversation.

Watching her for a moment, Spiederman turned back to the guys with a smirk on his face. He loved the way she did everything, even talking to people about randomness was a Jude trait he couldn't get enough of.

Kyle leaned in closer to Speed and asked, "Have you seen Jamie yet..?"

Nodding, Spiederman replied, "Yeah… The dude hates me."

"You did steal his girlfriend," Wally reminded in a quiet tone.

In agreement with that statement, Kyle added, "He told you to keep an eye on her for him, not to date her."

Quickly, Spiederman turned to see if Jude had heard. When he saw she was still in deep conversation with the girl, he turned back to the boys. "Hey! We're not bringing that up, remember? One of our unmentionables…"

The two guys nodded in silence, almost forgetting the promise they made to each other at the end of the tour. The three of them looked at each other awkwardly, feeling a little tension. Things between them had gotten weird since Spiederman started dating Jude. It wasn't that he turned into half of Juderman, but the fact that he was hiding something and they were helping.


	5. Save Me

The last school bell of the day rang loudly in the building. The classrooms nearly erupted as students piled into the hallways, sprinting towards the exits. Lockers swung open and closed quickly, everyone in that school just anxious to get out of there.

Jude dove into the mess of teenagers that swarmed the halls. She held on to her backpack straps tight, making sure it would stay secure on her back. She yawned as she stepped forward with the crowd. A dull-grey metal door quickly swung at Jude, but she was pulled back away from it. She lost her balance and nearly fell, but gentle hands wrapped around her waist.

"Dude! Are you okay?" Spiederman asked as he held Jude.

Blushing with embarrassment, Jude smiled faintly. "Yeah, I'm okay…"

Spiederman kept his arm around her waist as they moved along with the crowd, trying to keep her safe from the chaos. "You almost got squashed by a locker on the first day of school," he said with a slight laugh.

Jude pushed him in a playful manner, but he bounced right back to her. She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment and laughed. They continued walking as she looked up at him. "So you're the one that saved me from walking into it, huh?"

Smiling, Spiederman replied simply, "You can just call me Super Speed."

They finally reached the front doors and exited to their bright and sunny freedom. Jude wrapped her arms around Spiederman and kissed him lightly on the lips. "My hero!"

Spiederman's smile grew as he gave her another quick peck on the lips. He held her body close against his, loving the connection they had. He leaned his forehead against hers, trying to think of something witty to say. It was hard though. Jude always had a way of leaving him tongue-tied.

"And I thought it'd be better out here," Jamie commented dryly from the doors. He glared at Speed and Jude, with Kat by his side.

Jude moved away from Spiederman slightly. At first, Spiederman was hurt, looking her up and down in shock, but when he glanced over towards Jamie, he understood. It was hard to pretend like things were okay in their lives. Neither of them wanted to hurt Jamie even more than they already have. If they had to keep space between them when he was around, so be it. He was still their friend. Or at least, Speed and Jude wanted his friendship.

Kat and Jamie started moving towards the couple, mainly because it was the only way to get completely out of the school. As they got closer, Jamie helped his head up slightly to avoid eye contact. It was hard to look at them and not feel completely horrible for the way he was betrayed by his best friends. He wanted to help Jude and Speed out by having them work together. Jamie didn't expect to be double-crossed while they were on tour. He sniffled a little as he passed them and started down the long staircase.

"Jamie! Wait!" Speed yelled after him. He shuffled past people and hurried down the stairs, leaving Jude behind. He tried his hardest to fight past all the bodies and catch up with Jamie. "Dude!"

Jamie continued walking, looking straight ahead with a look of annoyance on his face. "Don't call me dude, dude."

Speed took a deep breath as he struggled to keep up with Jamie. He knew that Jamie was listening, but he had a feeling he wasn't going to stop moving or have a civil conversation. The guy knew how to hold a grudge. "Jamie, we're both extremely sorry. You're killing Jude right now! We didn't mean for anything to happen!"

"You didn't mean for anything to happen!" Jamie stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned around to corner Spiederman against the railing. "Are you kidding me!"

Trying to stay calm, Spiederman took a deep breath and he stood with the railing digging into his back. "Look, Jamie. I want to be your friend again, but I understand if you don't… But Jude had nothing to do with what's going on between you and me, so don't hold this against her." Speed looked into Jamie's eyes, trying to show him the sincerity in his plea.

Clenching his jaw, Jamie shook his head. "You don't get to be the hero this time, Speed."

Spiederman exhaled deeply as Jamie walked away and he was released from the confinement against the railing. He watched Jamie take off down the street, hating the way that conversation had ended. Speed glanced back up the staircase to see Jude peering down. She had witnessed the entire thing and she had no idea why this dilemma was such a big deal.


	6. La La

They'd walked nearly the entire way from the school back to Jude's apartment. It was a long enough trip to face the torment of a school bus ride, but they needed to get out some bad energy. Even without saying much, or words with any meaning, just walking together made things better. That was their usual way to relieving stress ever since touring together.

"I just don't understand why he's so mad at you," Jude stated, breaking a painful silence.

With a shrug, Spiederman looked away from Jude. It was the perfect time to come clean, but he didn't know if he could look her in the eye and mutter the words. "I don't know..." He glanced back and got lost in her radiant beauty. "You were his girl... I shouldn't have gone there."

Jude could tell that something was bothering her boyfriend, but she figured it was their Jamie situation and nothing more. "I'm not a possession..." Jude commented with a touch of disgust.

Spiederman quickly turned to her with apologetic eyes. "I didn't mean it like that. Well, I kinda did, but not like, in an offensive way."

"I'm not offended," Jude remarked with a faint smile. She looped her arm with his and cuddled up to him as they walked. "It's just confusing. I mean, we're happy together. Jamie shouldn't be like this if he could see how happy we are."

Nodding, Spiederman kissed the top of Jude's head. "That's true," he commented. They walked a little further before he stopped her and held her hand. "But..."

"But what?" Jude asked as she eyed him strangely.

With a shrug, he hesitated to continue. "Some-sometimes... Something hurts so much that you can't see it any other way... You just see the pain."

Jude looked up at Spiederman with sad eyes. She hated thinking that she could pain Jamie that much, let alone anyone being put in the position to feel that hurt. She took a step closer to Spiederman and hugged him tenderly in her arms. Jude's lips met Speed's in a soft, yet passionate, kiss, trying to make any pain that either one might have go away. "Things will get better, right?" Jude questioned quietly.

"Of course," Spiederman replied simply.

Cradling her hand in his, they went into the apartment complex and headed towards Jude's. It was only a matter of time before they could cuddle in each other's arms with a little more privacy. They hopped up the stairs to the second story apartment and Jude unlocked the door. Pushing the door aside, they only took a few steps inside before hearing some heavy breathing.

"Sadie!" Tommy called out in a low voice.

Spiederman glanced around the room, even up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what the sound was. "What the--"

Sadie quickly peeked her head over the kitchen counter and out towards the living room. She turned her head slightly and saw Jude and Spiederman standing near the doorway. "Jude!" she screamed, slightly out of breath and her hair in a big mess.

Neither of them could see much of Sadie, but from what Jude could tell, Sadie wasn't wearing much clothing. She quickly threw her hand over Speed's eyes and turned him to face the door. "Sorry! Bad timing!" Jude yelled back as she ushered Spiederman and herself out the door. "Worst timing..." Jude muttered once they were outside.

"Aren't they supposed to be 'just friends'?" Spiederman questioned loudly.

Jude jumped around, trying to ignore what they just witnessed. "They forgot..?" she answered, trying to forget all of it herself. "No. They got back together last month."

At that point, Spiederman couldn't control his laughter. "In the kitchen?" he exclaimed.

Jude began to shake her hands out with a sickened look on her face. "Ewww! Our food is all contaminated by now!" she yelped.

Spiederman instantly cringed at the thought. "At least now I know about the crazy shenanigans that happen at the Harrison girls' apartment..." he remarked.

Glaring at Spiederman, Jude shook out the dirtiness from her skin one more time. "Just at our apartment? I've walked in on my dad and his mistress... And my dad with my mom! In that order!"

Almost instantly, Speed started to gag on his own fictitious vomit. "Dude, that's so wrong..." he stated with a pale face. He didn't want to say it, but he tends to have a great sense of imagery when it comes to stories, and he just went to a very scary visual place. The pictures in his mind right now were beyond horrific as he shuddered once more.

"I told you I have the worst timing!" Jude explained.

Both expressing disgusted sounds and nervous laughter on the apartment steps, they both turned around to see the door swing wide open. Sadie stood there staring at them, her hair still in a giant mess. She was wearing a brown tube top and blue jeans, but you could hardly tell with the ton of flour and frosting, and dough she was caked in.

Simultaneously, Jude and Spiederman looked at each other in silence, than began laughing uncontrolably at the sight of Sadie. It was like nothing they had ever seen before. And on Sadie? It was definitely something that they'd only get to witness once in their life, and this was the time to point and laugh.

Jude's side began to ache with all the laughter. She tried her hardest to catch her breath as she muttered, "Sadie? Is that you under all of that?"

"Ha ha," Sadie laughed bitterly. "I'm never baking with Tom Quincy again."

As she let the words slip from her mouth, Tommy appeared behind her in the same costume. He had a giant grin on his face as he stated, "You don't mean that."

Sadie turned to Tommy and glared at him. "Maybe I don't... But this," she started as she used her hands to refer to the sitckiness of herself, "doesn't exactly look like a delicious batch of cinnamon rolls."

"Are we looking at the same thing?" Tommy smoothly stated as he leaned in closer.

Jude raised her hand to cover Spiederman's eyes again as she rolled her own. Sometimes she knew that her sister and Tommy are an adorable couple. Other times, their sexual innuendoes made her want to vomit. "Some of us would like to keep our lunch down," Jude commented.

Tommy and Sadie inched closer to each other still, as Sadie muttered, "Whatever."

Their lips met for less than a second before Tommy wiped a handful of frosting on Sadie's cheek. He quickly pulled away and gave her a look of shock before laughing. He smiled at her in a sweet and innocent way. "Surprise..?"

Sadie pressed her lips together and nodded. "Yeah, suprise," she repeated. She glared at him a touch more while nodding before shattering a raw egg on his forehead. "I just love surprises," she stated seductively.

Speed and Jude started their laughter once more as Tommy lifted Sadie over his shoulder and brought her back into the apartment, tickling her all the while. The two were joined shortly by Jude and Spiederman, all of them collapsing on the seats in the living room, rolling in their laughter. So maybe it wasn't so bad..?


	7. Let's Talk

Speed leaned back on the couch, stretching. "I don't think I could eat another bit," he said with a tired sigh.

Tommy eyed him strangely, and down at the pizza boxes spread across the coffee table. "He stops after two pizzas," Tommy stated with a smirk on his face. "Good to know."

Also looking downwards, Spiederman tried his best to measure how much he had eaten. "I didn't eat that much," he stated in a defensive manner.

With a chuckle, Tommy stared at Spiederman with disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

"Yeah," Sadie commented as she started piling the boxes. "I'm pretty sure you ate enough for a homeless family."

Jude laughed as well, knowing it was true. If she learned anything while on tour, it was that no food was safe on the bus with SME around. Still, she felt like she owed something to her boyfriend. "Leave him alone, you guys," Jude insisted. "He's a growing boy!"

Tommy continued the quiet laughter. It was nearly chocked on that phrase as it was blurted out of Jude's mouth. "Growing into another notch on his belt…" he muttered under his breath.

Speiderman instantly glanced upwards as he heard Tommy's quiet words. "Hey, I have an excellent metabolism," Speed boasted slightly.

Sadie raised an eyebrow to that comment. She stood to grab the stack of pizza boxes and remarked towards Spiederman, "And now my thighs officially hate you."

Tilting his head slightly, Tommy got a better view of the back of Sadie as she started to walk away. He grinned to himself, his eyes glowing slightly. "And boy do I love your thighs," he said in a suggestive tone.

Turning slightly, Sadie simply smiled at Tommy. She knew that was his version of a compliment to her, and she loved it. Even then, she blushed a little and turned back towards her path into the kitchen.

Jude rolled her eyes at that comment and stood as well. "We just ate!" she snickered, going to a slightly scary visual place. Even more incentive, Jude noticed the look on Spiederman's face switch over to his imagination as well. Jude shook her head at Tommy disgustedly and grabbed the dirty cups for washing.

The two of them watched both girls walk into the kitchen. They waited for a minute before they heard the water start to run and figured that they were washing the dishes.

"Need any help?" Tommy loudly offered from his seated position.

A couple of clanks and water splashes later, Sadie called out, "We're okay." A few more mysterious noises from the kitchen escaped, and the girls giggled. "Just relax and we'll be done in a few."

Knowing that the girls would still be a little while, Speed looked over Tommy curiously. He kept his voice quiet as he asked, "How do you do it, man?"

Tommy ran his fingers through his hair and shifted his weight. Confused, he replied, "Do what?"

With a shrug, Spiederman tried to think of the right words. He had never really held a conversation with Tommy before, especially not about music. It was an honest question too, he just didn't want to get on his bad side. "Get away with…" he started in hesitation before finishing, "being such a perv?"

"He doesn't," Sadie replied smugly. She had just entered the room to hear the last of Spiederman's question. If he hadn't hesitated, he would've gotten away with it, but he was too slow. Sadie went to the coffee table and placed a plate of abnormally shaped cinnamon rolls and a few coffee mugs. "He gets punished later."

"Yeah," Tommy agreed in a bashful way. He looked up at Sadie with apologetic eyes and a faint smile before she returned to the kitchen. Tommy leaned over to Speed and whispered, "In a very good way."

Speed's jaw dropped as he exclaimed, "Dude!" Both Spiderman and Tommy shared a look of shock, and Spiederman lowered his voice again to finish, "You're a hardcore perv!" And he chuckled for a moment, shaking his head with a slight touch of embarrassment.

"And what?" Tommy questioned with a smirk on his face and cock of his head. "You never think about Jude that wa—" Tommy quickly stopped himself and shook those words and image from his head. "I don't want to know," he finished, shifting his weight and adjusting his posture once more.

Blushing a tad, Spiederman also modified his position to be seated somewhat like Tommy. "Don't worry," he commented. "I didn't plan on telling you."

Both of them could see that the conversation suddenly turned awkward. Spiederman had put an honest effort to talk with Tommy, even if what he had to say was put into the wrong words. There was an obvious age difference between the couples, and it was understood that it would be weird at times. But in the same instance, Tommy and Spiederman had more in common than most people would know.

"You do know we're lucky, right?" Tommy remarked, breaking the silence between them. He glanced over at Spiederman and looked him in the eye, letting him know he was being sincere. "Harrison girls are one in a billion."

Speed pressed his lips together and nodded. He broke his eye contact with Tommy to look down in his lap, thinking about just how lucky he was. "Trust me," Spiederman stated quietly. He looked up at Tommy with Jamie on his mind. "I know."

"You know what?" Jude questioned as she returned to the room with Sadie by her side. The two ladies stared at their men, wondering what the current topic of conversation was, and hoping that they'd be told.


	8. Love Should Be A Crime

"Uh," Tommy started, shifting his weight to sit himself straight up. "We got some serious work to do at the studio tomorrow," he finished. He glanced over his shoulder at Speiderman, making sure that he knew to follow along with that statement.

The two of them nodded at the girls, trying to be reassuring. Spiederman wasn't exactly sure why they were suddenly talking about the studio, but he got Tommy's hint. As long as they were on friendly terms, he saw no harm in playing along.

Sadie stared at the two of them curiously. She had a funny feeling about something going on. She stared down at the table and saw the cinnamon rolls. It wasn't until a second later that it hit her. "Forks!" she exclaimed, heading back to the kitchen.

Speed watched Sadie run off with a smile on his face. With how intelligent the girl was, he was often surprised with what a ditz she could act like. "Yeah…" he stated, obviously a little distracted from Sadie's outburst. He turned his attention back to Jude and commented, "No messing around tomorrow."

"You..?" Jude questioned skeptically. She flashed glances between Spiederman and Tommy with a smile on her face. She repeated, making sure she heard right, "Not messing around..?"

Her eyes went wide as she saw the two men nod. She hadn't expected either of them to get along, let alone agree to work professionally. It was hard to believe her fun-loving Speed could do anything professionally at times. Shaking her head, she stated in a smart tone, "What is the world coming to?"

Dryly, Spiederman replied, "Very funny."

Jude nodded in agreement with her boyfriend. She started to take a seat close to him, but she heard Sadie call from the kitchen. "Jude! Can you come grab the coffee?" she hollered. Jude gave her boy sad eyes for missing out on time with him, but she quickly made her way into the kitchen to help her sister.

Making sure she was gone, and that they wouldn't be heard, Speed quietly inquired, "Why didn't you—"

"Tell them?" Tommy finished for Spiederman. Tommy even question himself why he didn't tell the girls the truth about what they were talking about, but there were some things he just couldn't help doing. "Sadie and I aren't…" He hesitated, but finally finished, "There yet." Shrugging his shoulders, Tommy felt the need to elaborate. "Well, I don't know if she is, and I don't want—"

Looking upwards, Tommy noticed the girls coming at them. He didn't know how much they had heard, but he tried to play it cool and finished, "To lose any time in the studio tomorrow." He smiled innocently at Sadie, and held his hand out for her to come sit by him.

Gladly joining him, Sadie dropped the forks and come coffee mugs off on the table. She sat close to Tommy and snuggled into his arms. With a little pout of the lips, she asked glumly, "So does that mean I'm losing you to G Major tomorrow?"

Tommy smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. He liked that she seemed sad that he wouldn't be around. They weren't exactly open about their feelings for each other, and it was nice to feel the things that were never said. "If you've forgotten, you work there too," he replied.

"Yeah, but I don't see you," Sadie commented with that same sad disposition. "You're always recording and I'm sitting there…"

Speiderman wrapped his arm around Jude, who had just joined him. He raised an eyebrow to that last statement. "Yeah, what do you even do, Sadie?" he questioned. They hadn't been into G Major since before they left for the tour, but he heard Sadie had a job there now. He had no idea what her place in that business could possibly be, unless Sadie was training to be a mini EJ.

Jude bit her lip, looking downwards. She knew that Sadie wasn't going to say what her position was, so Jude took in into her own hands to answer. "I believe Darius' exact words to Sadie were, 'Just sit there and look pretty.'"

Tommy's eyes went wide, choking on his coffee. He cleared his throat as he set the mug back onto the coffee table. "He really said that to you?" Tommy inquired outraged.

"I told you that!" Sadie exclaimed in an annoyed manner. Sometimes she felt like Tommy wasn't really listening to her, and moments like this proved it. She removed herself from him and crossed her arms over her chest, obviously irritated.

Feeling Sadie move away, Tommy looked over at her. He placed his arm back around her shoulders, trying to pull her back towards him. "I thought you were just exaggerating about the job sucking, and D sucking even more," he explained, hoping she'd understand. He huffed slightly, thinking about how he had been ignoring how horribly his girlfriend was being treated. It didn't sit right with Tommy, so he muttered, "I'll tell him what he can sit and do…"

Sadie shook her head and snuggled up against her boyfriend. "Tommy, it's okay," she stated, knowing that he meant well. Sometimes she had the tendency to over exaggerate, so she couldn't really blame him. And it was obvious that Tommy did care enough about her to do something if she really wanted it.

Still heated, Tommy blurted out, "I still can't believe Georgia partnered with him!"

"Get over it, Quincy," Jude mumbled as she shook her head. "He isn't that bad…" She knew that what Darius said to Sadie wasn't right, but there were other reasons why what he said was horrible. "If you didn't have all that history with him, things would be alright."

Tommy shook his head with a tired expression. "I'm not the one holding a grudge. He is," Tommy dryly stated.

Sadie nodded in agreement. She tilted her head back to look Tommy in the eye as she added, "You're just the one too stubborn to suck it up."

"Hey!" Tommy shouted, obviously offended. He furrowed his brow, looking down at Sadie. "Just sit there and look pretty," he said.

Sitting up straight, and pulling away from Tommy once more, Sadie slapped him across the arm. She took a minute to glare at him before she dramatically moved her body further away from him on the couch.

Throwing his hands up into the air in a confused manner, Tommy's eyes went wide. "What?" Looking at Sadie, he could tell that she was angry, but he didn't know what he said that he should've kept to himself. "So he can say it and I can't?" he questioned about his last statement.

Sadie continued glaring at Tommy as she answered, "Exactly."

They two of them continued to stare each other down, ready for a brawl if they must. They were famous for their petty arguments, but they were also pretty well known for their make ups. Sometimes, people even questioned if they just argued for the sake of making up. The weird way their relationship worked at times, many people ended up having some question or another.

Seeing that a possible fight might start, Speed took his arm from around Jude and stood up. "Well, on that note, I better get going," he stated with a grin.


	9. Don't Leave Me

"What?" Jude asked with a pouty expression. "No!" she remarked, shaking her head and holding his hand. She hoped that he would stay longer, not really understanding why he made such a sudden decision to leave.

Sadie broke her focus on Tommy and glanced over at the other couple. She could see that her sister's happy disposition quickly vanished, and felt someone guilty for Spiederman's want to go. "We spent all day slaving over the oven for you to leave before having a cinnamon roll?" she inquired, trying to make him stay for at least a while longer.

A smirk appeared on Speed's face, thinking about their "baking". He flashed glances between the Harrison sisters for a moment, both obviously trying to get him to stay. He then caught a glimpse of Tommy and also remembered their conversation. "Since Quincy still has frosting in his hair," he started, referring to the incident Jude and he walked in on, "Yes."

Tommy threw his head back slightly, laughing to himself. He knew that the two of them had gotten the wrong impression when they walked into their food fight, but it was something all of them could laugh about with no problem. As he returned his head back forwards, he saw Sadie had a bit of a giggle on her face as well. He pulled Sadie a little bit closer to him, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. He loved that he was able to have fun with her, and the other couple as well.

Jude rose to her feet, ignoring the other's jubilation. All she was really focused on was that she wasn't going to have much fun if he wasn't going to be around. "Come on!" she said, ready to put up a fight. "It's not that late."

Spiederman looked her over for a moment. He honestly did want to stay, but another part of him knew it was time to go for the night. "I've already got some homework to do and we're going to spend all night in the studio tomorrow," he explained, hoping she would understand it wasn't her. It was more him than anything else.

A tad defeated, Jude dropped her head slightly. "Oh yeah," she sighed, realizing that their carefree summer was over. "I guess I should do that math homework."

Sadie finally let her giggle escape and she pulled away from Tommy slightly. She loved his touch, but she also knew that if she didn't get out of his hold, she wouldn't be able to resist his charm much longer. "I'm sure leaving the answers blank would get you the same grade," Sadie joked, trying to get her boyfriend off of her mind.

Flashing around to her sister, Jude glared at her hard. "Shut up!" she bit back, obviously offended. Even if it was a joke, and pretty much true, Jude hated talking about her math disabilities.

Speed shook his head at Sadie, showing he disapproved of her joke, even though he found it a bit funny as well. "Aww," he stated with his arm around Jude's shoulder. He ran his hand up and down her arm, showing he was there to support her. Spiederman looked at Sadie and threw in, "At least she can sing."

"Hey!" Jude exclaimed, slapping Spiederman across the arm. For a second, that reaction even shocked Jude. She didn't mean to hit her boyfriend like that over a joke, especially since it seemed like such a Sadie move. Maybe the real reason she did that, even if he knew he was just poking fun, was because of the difference their relationship had taken since he moved from friend to boyfriend.

With a bit of shock, Spiederman's eyes went wide. He stared at her as he stated, "Kidding!" He brought his hand up to the spot where she had slapped him, rubbing it to reduce the pain. It stung a little, but he knew that Jude meant well. And at the same time, he also thought it was cute when she would get feisty. "Sheesh."

Tommy continued his silent laughter, watching the couple. He made a mental note to have another talk with Spiederman, letting him know not to make too many jokes like that with his girlfriend. Those wouldn't get him many points with her, just a dead arm. But what did Tommy know with his own girlfriend repeatedly scooting away from him on the couch. "We do have a long day tomorrow," Tommy stated, defending his new friend. "Be ready to hit the studio right after school, and don't plan on leaving anytime before 10:00."

Just hearing that, Jude got tired in her mind. With concerts and being on the road, the adrenaline was pumped into you every night. Recording in the studio, the mic just sucks the energy right out of you. "Ever heard of easing into it?" Jude inquired, worried about how exhausted she'd be the next day.

"We don't have any time to kill if you want to have your second album out by the next year," Tommy remarked, giving everyone somewhat apologetic eyes. He hated having to push everyone, and being the bearer of bad news, but he did have an album to produce in a timely fashion.

Sadie turned her attention back to Tommy. She knew that she was pulling away from him when they'd get to close, but it was hardly anything new. The two of them had a confusing relationship, but that didn't mean she cared about him any less. "So I'm guessing that means a lot of alone time for Sadie," she commented glumly.

Understanding it was one of those times that Sadie would rather be in his arms than without him, Tommy reached over and hugged her close to him. "You can hang out in the studio with us," he offered. He was glad that her mood shifted back to wanting him around, but didn't know how long that would last. "I'll just tell Georgia and D that I need your help."

Speed laughed with his arm still around Jude. "It'll be like a party without any fun and tons of work!" he stated, putting the facts together.

Jude glared at him slightly. She knew that what he said was true, but it was one of those things she'd rather leave unsaid. That way, she wouldn't have to admit that tomorrow might be the Canadian version of hell. "You sure know how to make things sound good," she remarked sarcastically.

Tommy shook his head at the other comments and continued looking into Sadie's eyes. He kissed the top of her head and stated in a somewhat reassuring manner, "You can sit and look pretty anywhere."

"I'm hoping that was a compliment," Sadie stated with a confused look on her face.

Chuckling softly, Tommy whispered, "Of course it was." He leaned forwards slightly and gave her a peck on the lips. "I'll talk to them and you can spend the night with us," he reaffirmed, proving that she would get to spend time with him.

Raising an eyebrow to his words, Sadie stated in a skeptical tone, "And that'll be okay because the phones answer themselves."

Tommy shrugged, knowing that she did have a point. "Jamie can answer the phones," he declared, trying to come up with any solution. He'd make it work somehow, truly wanting Sadie to be with him the next night.

Both Jude and Spiederman turned away from each other and flashed around to the other couple with that statement. They stared with wide eyes, both lost for words at the moment. They didn't really know where that idea came from in Tommy's head, but they hoped that they were just left out on some facts.

"Jamie?" Jude finally blurted out.

Realizing the two were staring at him strangely, Tommy took his focus off of Sadie slightly. "Yeah," he replied with a touch of confusion as to their reactions.

Spiederman started shaking his head like he was trying to get the thought out of his mind. "Wait," he stated as he was finally able to stand still. He looked straight across at Tommy and finished, "It sounded a lot like you guys were talking about Jamie for a second, but I think I'm having problems hearing."

Equally confused, Sadie stated in reply to Spiederman, "No problems." It hit her that no one had told Jude or Spiederman about the new situation at the studio. It almost seemed strange that Jamie hadn't told the couple himself about his position. "Jamie works at G Major now. He's an intern," she stated, laying the information out for them.

"This can't be good," Speed muttered under her breath with a worried look on his face.


	10. Never Leave Me

Sadie raised her eyebrow as she looked at the two of them. She could imagine how things must be a little awkward, considering that Jamie and Jude were working on a relationship before she left, but it didn't seem too outrageous. As much as Sadie didn't want to admit it, she liked Jude with Speed. They were cute, and she thought Spiederman was a lot funnier than Jamie. "Working with friends is bad..?" Sadie remarked, giving the two of them the eye.

Jude shook her head, biting on her bottom lip slightly. "Working with friends is good," she assured. But looking up at her sister and her producer, the expression on her face was anything other than excited. She finished, "Working with someone that hates your guts isn't so great."

Spiederman shook his head at that statement. He turned his body towards Jude and subtly held her hand. "He doesn't hate you so much. Just me."

Still watching them strangely, Sadie didn't understand what they were talking about. Neither of them had been home from the tour for so long, and Jude and Sadie talked about things regularly while they were away. She thought she knew everything about her sister's life at this point. "What happened?" she questioned, snuggled up in Tommy's arms.

Raising a single eyebrow, Jude replied with another question. "Do you really need to ask?" Jude nodded to Spiederman slightly, leaving a hint for Sadie. The whole dilemma wasn't too hard to understand, especially for a girl.

"Oh…" Sadie muttered, staring at the two. She started to straighten herself out, pulling away from Tommy. She could understand why Jamie would be angry in this situation, and it made her uncomfortable to look so happy with Tommy. It was almost as if she didn't want to smile because everyone else was in such a low point.

Shaking his head, Tommy was lost in the words. He had no idea what was going on, especially with the Jamie problem. "What?" he blurted out.

Exhaling deeply, Sadie shook her head with a furrowed brow. She patted Tommy on the chest in a calming matter and looked him in the eye. She could tell that he was honestly confused, and it was cute to her, but he also needed to be straightened out. She could tell that Jude and Spiederman weren't enjoying the tension, and were busy in thought, so she took it into her own hands to explain. Keeping her voice quiet, Sadie remarked, "The beginning of the summer was Jude and Jamie, remember?" She waited for Tommy's nod to continue, making sure he was following along. "Now it's Jude and Speed. You see where that gets a little messy?" she inquired.

"Oh…" Tommy commented as well, following Sadie's lead and words exactly.

Speed nodded his head slowly. All he could make out from Sadie's explanations were their names and the rest was quiet whispers. But seeing that Tommy caught on, it was enough to know that Spiederman looked like the villain in this scenario. "Yeah, pretty much," Spiderman agreed glumly.

Seeing that Spiederman was down, which brought Jude down as well, and finally reaching over to Sadie, Tommy felt like he should do something. He hated that it was like a depressed chain reaction in the room, but he also knew that he might be able to do something to help. "I can talk to Georgia about cutting his hours," Tommy offered. He saw everyone look up at him with a little hope. It wasn't exactly everyone getting excited and thanking him, but they didn't look so low anymore. He continued, "I mean, if it's going to interfere with your work—"

"Don't do that to him," Jude pleaded, interrupting Tommy. She knew she was quick on that statement, so she elaborated, "He'd be even angrier if his hours got cut because of us." Even though Jamie wasn't being cold to her, she still wanted to be his friend. She still considered herself his friend, and she'd do what she could to have him happy. The only thing she wouldn't do was stop seeing Spiederman. Speed was good for her, and she knew it. Glancing over at her boyfriend, and trying to make sure he was alright, she remarked, "We can handle it, right?"

"Right," Spiederman agreed, nodding his head. He thought that everyone was going to get mad at him for making the situation worse, but no one thought it was his fault. He was ready to take the blame anyways, but Tommy was actually on his side. It almost excited him that he was still in a good light with them. But realizing that there was still some things that no one in that room, other than himself, knew about Jamie's anger, he still felt uncomfortable in the apartment. "I really should go," Speed stated with a bit of exhaustion.

Tommy yawned and removed his arm from around Sadie's shoulder. "Yeah," he agreed with Spiederman. He started to inch forwards on the couch, leaning forwards a touch. He glanced up at Speed and asked, "You want a ride?"

Before Spiederman could reply, Sadie bounced forwards on the couch and hugged onto Tommy's arm. "Wait!" she hollered as she held him down. "Does that mean you're leaving too?"

With a grin on his face, Tommy chuckled softly. He loved that she was so anxious to have him stay, even if the next thing they'd do is pretend like it didn't matter whether he left or not. "Yeah. I'm beat," he explained. Their relationship always worked in weird ways. They could say one thing, and mean a complete other. Or they could say nothing at all, and the other would just know what was up. For the most part, they avoided words altogether, and that was okay. Knowing that she was a little disappointed in him for leaving, Tommy quickly added, "But I'll pick you up for breakfast before work, okay?"

With a little pout, Sadie replied, "Sure."

Not being able to resist, Tommy leaned in and kissed his girlfriend. Granted, he wouldn't introduce Sadie to someone as his girlfriend, but they both knew that she was his girl, and he was her guy. It was just another thing the two would leave unsaid.

"My eyes burn," Jude stated simply, trying not to watch as she stood with Spiederman.

Both Sadie and Tommy raised their hands to Jude's voice, waving to shoo them away. It didn't take very long to get Spiderman and Jude out of the room, and for Sadie and Tommy to kiss in peace.

Speed closed the door behind them as they stepped out of the apartment. He hugged his jacket around himself, feeling a cool breeze pass. With that, he made his way closer to Jude and wrapped his arms around her, making sure she was warm as well. "They really are in tune with each other," he commented, referring to Sadie and Tommy.

Even though they weren't her favorite subject, Jude knew that Tommy and Sadie really were good for each other. They made each other smile, and they cared about each other. If two people make each other happy, that should be enough. And realizing that her thoughts fit all relationships, instead of just theirs, Jude remarked, "Kinda like us."

"Yeah," Speed whispered softly. He nodded slightly, but stopped as his lips met hers.

As the kiss broke off, Jude blushed slightly. She loved that she had a real boyfriend. Things never seemed to simple and nice before. It was strange that she has known Spiederman for so long, but just now is seeing him as the sweet guy he is. "So I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked bashfully with a bright smile on her face.

Speed nodded and replied, "Of course." He kept his arms around her as she wind blew softly once more. Her hair brushed across her face, but Spiderman gently pushed the locks back. "We can walk together if you want," he offered.

Nodding, Jude cooed, "I want."

Before their lips could meet again, Tommy swung the apartment door open. Tommy's hair was a little messed up, and he still had a dopey grin on his face. He walked out a few steps, meeting the couple. "Let's go, kid," he directed towards Spiederman at he headed down the stairs.

Jude rolled her eyes at Tommy, even though he couldn't see it. She leaned back over the railing, still in Speed's arms. She called after Tommy with an impatient, "Bye."

Tommy continued down the stairs, almost as if he was in a Sadie trance. "Bye," he repeated and waved over his head.

Laughing, Spiederman shook his head. Both him and Jude knew why Tommy was acting that way, but if neither Sadie nor Tommy talked about it, they weren't going to either. If anything, Speed was going to stay focused on working on his own relationship. "Goodnight," he said soothingly.

With a smile still on her face, Jude responded, "'Night." She gave him one more soft peck on the lips before sending him down the stairs as well.


	11. Sisters of Mercy

Sitting on the couch in the living room, Sadie waited for her sister to come back in and join her. By that point, Sadie was picking away at a cinnamon roll, licking the frosting off of her fingers. She looked up at Jude for a moment and questioned, "Strange, don't you think?"

With a smile still on her face from the kiss shared with Spiederman, Jude raised an eyebrow to her sister. "What?" She grinned once more and jokingly asked, "Your eating habits?"

Sadie playfully snickered at her sister and she bit down on a little bit more of the sweet snack. She then shook her head and swallowed her bite to reply, "Tommy and Speed being all friend-like."

Laughing lightly, Jude nodded. She took a few steps closer to her sister and plopped down on the couch. "I think 'strange' is an understatement," she declared, grabbing a pillow for comfort as well.

Grabbing a cinnamon roll for Jude, Sadie handed it over kindly. She shrugged her shoulders and added, "But it's kinda cool." She leaned back in her seat once more and could see that Jude wasn't exactly following. Trying to make more sense, Sadie continued, "I mean, we could double if we wanted to."

Jude raised an eyebrow, thinking about what they could possible do on a double date. Things were awkward enough with Jude and Speed, trying to find their way from friends to more with all the side drama as well. Neither of them wanted to move too quickly, but at the same time, Sadie and Tommy would be on the other side of the booth sucking face. Kicking that mental image out of her mind, Jude repeated, "If we wanted to."

Her jaw dropping slightly, Sadie looked over her shoulder to glare at Jude. "Do you really hate me that much?" she questioned, half kidding and half serious.

"You know I don't hate you," Jude quickly replied. She picked at her cinnamon roll, but hadn't had a taste of it yet. All she could really do was play with her food and fidget for now. She hesitated to elaborate, trying to find just the right words to describe her uneasiness. Finally, she muttered, "It's just kinda weird."

Letting out a soft laughter, Sadie shifted her weight and adjusted her seat on the couch until she was facing Jude. "Is that also an understatement?" she asked with a curious expression.

A little confused on how to answer, it took Jude a second to react. She started to shake her head as she finally let out, "No…" Jude shrugged her shoulders and moved herself to face her sister as well. They had grown so much closer as both friends and sisters since their parents' separation, and both of them knew it was time for a more serious talk. "It's just…" Jude started, still trying to find the rest of her words. "You and Tommy are like, a couple."

Her expression quickly turning from curious to confused, Sadie stared at Jude strangely. She didn't know exactly what Jude meant by her reply. "And you and Speed aren't?" she inquired.

Jude shook her head slowly at first, but then more definitely shook her head. "Not like you guys," she explained in a whiney tone. Jude exhaled deeply in a tired manner and continued, "We're still trying to figure things out."

Sadie shifted her weight on the couch and tucked her hair behind her ear. She still had that look in her eye, trying to get some good information out of her little sister. "I thought you two have been together for like a month," Sadie offered, wanting to figure out the whole story.

"We have," Jude remarked as she nodded. She continued to pick at her cinnamon roll, enjoying the dabs of frosting she could get in the process. She hesitated for as long as she could, eating bits of the treat and licking her lips. Jude shrugged slightly and added, "But it's weird going from friends to a couple." She stabbed her finger into the cinnamon roll a few more times, just taking out all of her frustrated thoughts.

Rolling her eyes, Sadie let out a small laugh. She shook her head at her sister's troubles as if it was nothing. "Tommy and I did that," she explained when she could see her sister was obviously way less amused. She could see that Jude wasn't following, so she elaborated, "We were just friends at one point."

With a sigh, Jude shook her head once. "I don't know," she stated, not really thinking that their relationship could ever be that easy. When it came to her and Spiederman, she had so many more doubts. And it wasn't that she didn't want them to be happy, it was more like she wanted it so badly that she couldn't help but thinking it's too good to be true. "It's just different," she finally remarked, hoping they could just leave it at that.

Starting to nod with an understanding look on her face, Sadie finished off her cinnamon roll. It looked like she was going to drop the subject, but a moment later, she announced, "Maybe it's only different because you let it be." Calling for her sister's attention, Sadie sat still and looked boldly into Jude's eyes. Even if Jude wasn't asking for her advice, Sadie had a few things to say. "He's your boyfriend, Jude. He's not just a friend anymore."

Jude smiled nervously at Sadie. "I know," she replied, not knowing what else Sadie had to say about her relationship with Speed. She knew her sister always had a point, and a roundabout way of getting to it.

"Then don't be afraid to act like it," Sadie finished, letting Jude know that it's alright to act like a couple.


	12. Afraid

Sadie walked back to the kitchen with the unused utensils. She had gotten enough words out to leave Jude speechless in the living room. She loved being able to give some wise words to her little sister.

But Jude wasn't going to let that conversation die so easily. She took after Sadie with the cinnamon rolls in her hands. She set them on the kitchen counter, and then propped herself up to be sitting next to them. Waiting for Sadie's attention, Jude called out, "You ever take your own advice?"

Closing the cabinet, Sadie turned to look at Jude with a furrowed brow. She could see that her sister looked like she was ready to start a whirlwind of words, but Sadie was lost on what the point was. Sadie thought she was the one leaving Jude with words to ponder, not the other way around. "What are you talking about?" she asked with a slight scoff.

Jude smirked devilishly. She knew Sadie's reaction was a sign that Jude had gained the upper hand. And Jude prided herself on anytime Jude could make Sadie squirm a bit. "I just think it's funny," Jude remarked simply inn classic Sadie fashion.

Tying her hardest not to let her curiosity show, Sadie avoided Jude's eyes and shuffled through some of the kitchen drawers. She pressed her lips together in hesitation, not wanting to jump at the statement so quickly. Sadie was going to act nonchalant as she shrugged her shoulders slightly and questioned, "What is?"

Biting her bottom lip, Jude used all her strength to keep her giggles inside. Jude hopped off of the kitchen counter and headed back into the living room. If Sadie could get away with leaving her sister in thought, Jude felt she could do the same. She knew that Sadie would eventually follow, just hesitating a minute to seem like she didn't care. Finally after a few minutes of silence between the two sisters standing in the living room, Jude answered, "The way you two are so hot and cold to each other." Jude crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow to Sadie to see if she was following. But instead of getting a defeated expression from Sadie, she could see that she had actually upset her sister. "I mean, sometimes you guys seem like the happiest couple in the world and the next, you two are making this huge gap," Jude elaborated.

An irritated look on her face, Sadie turned away from her sister. She knew that there were things wrong with her relationship with Tommy, but talking about it seemed to make things worse. She'd rather have an unclear path, than nowhere to go at all. Her worst fear was knowing what they meant to each other, and meaning nothing at all. Pouting slightly, Sadie replied, "We don't do that."

"You so do," Jude stated as her sister turned away. She started to follow Sadie, knowing she touched a nerve. She didn't mean to get her sister's feeling jumbled, even if she did like to turn the table on Sadie every now and then. "And you know it too," Jude remarked matter-of-factly as she stopped at Sadie's doorway.

Sadie stood in her room and stared at herself in her vanity. She knew that Jude was still standing behind her, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Jude was right about Sadie knowing the truth of her relationship, but she couldn't admit it at that moment. And she definitely couldn't fix it on her own. Sadie continued watching herself and started to take off her earrings, and then the silver heart necklace around her neck. Holding the heart charm in her hand, and thinking about where hearts were these days, Sadie turned to her sister and asked, "Weren't you just saying that Tommy and I are more of a couple than you and Speed?"

Nodding, Jude finally entered Sadie's room. She took a seat on Sadie's bed and shrugged, not really understand how their conversation turned around either. "You two are more of a couple," she started before hesitantly adding, "just still not very couple like."

Exhaling deeply, Sadie ran her fingers through her hair. She walked across her room to her closet and unzipped her hoodie. She threw it on the rack before turning back to Jude and saying, "Things are confusing." Things were so confusing to Sadie that she couldn't really put her thoughts into words. She walked over to her bed and laid down exhaustedly.

Jude gave Sadie a faint smiled and back down until she was lying as well. Her head next to he sisters, she offered, "Aren't they always?"

Turning her head slightly, Sadie made eye contact with her sister and they shared a smile. Sometimes they'd fight and have their disagreements, and sometimes they would hurt each other's feelings. What was important is that they'd fix things because they loved each other. More than that, their experiences made them real, and it made them need one another. "Okay," Sadie said with a small nod and bright smile. She flipped over so she was lying on her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows. "Let me ask you this: are you in love with Speed?" she asked honestly with curiosity.

"Whoa," Jude blurted as her eyes went wide. She sat up once more and pushed herself back on the bed so she was leaning against the headboard. "Jumping the gun here, Sadie," Jude commented, feeling a little uncomfortable. She knew she could always talk to Sadie about things, but when she didn't know how to reply, she couldn't help but feel strangely about the topics.

Nodding with a smile, Sadie pressed her lips together. "Yeah…" she cooed quietly, thinking about their boys. She knew that it was too soon to be asking Jude something like that, but love was on her mind. Sadie needed to tell Jude the truth about her question. Or maybe just suck it up already and ask her little sister for advice. "Well, Tommy and I are kinda at that point where you either love the person, or you don't," Sadie stated. She wanted to know what to do about her relationship, but she just couldn't ask. She was supposed to be the older sister, and she wanted to be able to give love advice, but even all-knowing-Sadie didn't know what to do right now.

Smirking, Jude cocked her head slightly to get closer to Sadie. She knew it was Sadie's way of asking for advice. And even if it wasn't so clear, and the subject was sneaked into the conversation, she knew her sister did it because it meant a lot to her. "So do you?" Jude asked, keeping her voice quiet. She knew it was just the two of them in the room, and even in the entire apartment, but it seemed like such a secret. It was also something that was going to be kept between the sisters, and being quiet about it just seemed appropriate.

The smile on Sadie's face was warm and gentle, almost glowing. It always happened when Sadie thought of the words "Tommy" and "love" together. Even though it confused her, and sometimes it hurt, and even more so, it scares her, she still wanted to smile. Being in love brought the best out in her, which made the bad all worthwhile. Pressing her lips together, Sadie responded, "I don't know."

Leaning forwards, Jude pulled the pillow from behind her back and threw it at her sister playfully. "Sadie," she called out, wanting an honest answer.

"Ok, I do," Sadie surrendered. She took the pillow and propped it under her elbows for more cushion. Sadie ran her fingers through her hair once more, just to fix her rattled locks from where the pillow hit her. Sadie glumly looked at her sister, trying to find some words to explain why she didn't tell the truth at first. She hated making herself vulnerable, even if it was the one person she could trust most in the world. Finally, she admitted, "I just don't know if he does, and I don't want to make an ass out of myself."

Jude shook her head and glared at her sister slightly. "You took him to a karaoke bar for your guys' first date," Jude commented with a giggle in the back on her throat. "I don't think you can embarrass yourself much more."

Sitting up, Sadie took the pillow back into her arms and tossed it across the bed to Jude. "Shut up!" she hollered as she gave her sister angry eyes. Sadie shook her head and stared down into her lap. She shyly looked back up at her sister and stated, "I'm serious, Jude."

Tossing the pillow aside so it couldn't be used as a weapon anymore, Jude straightened herself out. She knew her sister wasn't appreciating all the jokes on this subject, and she actually did feel a little lost when it came to Tommy. "I know," Jude responded feeling her sister's frustration. She sincerely added, "Sorry."

"I just…" Sadie started, ignoring that she just snapped at her sister. When they could just ignore the fact that they were fighting, both Harrisons would. They fought so often that both of them had a three-second rebound with each other. "I have fun with him, and I don't want to ruin it," Sadie explained with a deep sigh.

Taking in the facts Sadie was providing her, Jude nodded as she listened to her sister. From what she could tell, it was simple. "Then don't risk it," Jude offered, hoping it would fix things, or at least give Sadie a solution for a little while.

A smile coming back to her face, Sadie stated, "But I like the risks."

Jude's forehead scrunched up instantly with a little more frustration. She tried so hard to help her sister, but it seemed like everything she threw out there would get thrown back into her face. "You know, you're the most contradicting person I know."

Sadie let out a laugh. She knew she wasn't making this easy on her sister or anyone else. But honestly, if this situation was easy, it wouldn't be a problem. Everything would be clear and love would have been the obvious name of the game a long time ago. "But you still love me," Sadie threw out there, trying to hide her own faults.

Taking a moment, Jude pretended to search really hard for the answer. It wasn't long before she caught herself laughing and admitting, "I do."

Raising an eyebrow and keeping her voice quiet, Sadie questioned, "And you love Spiederman..?"

"Sadie!" Jude exclaimed. She didn't like this question, and ten minutes after the first time asked, she still wouldn't have the answer. Or at least, she wouldn't be announcing it to the world quite yet. They were still transitioning, and that wasn't a secret. Wanting to get her revenge for her sister's prying, Jude leaned over and started to reach for that pillow.

Knowing her sister's intentions, Sadie reached for the pillow as well and plopped her hand on top of it so Jude couldn't get it for herself. "Okay, sorry," Sadie apologized, hoping the war of pillows would end there. Both of them slowly pulled away from the ammo, and smiled at each other. Jude was ready to get off the bed and leave Sadie, but Sadie used her words to stop her sister before she got too far away. "But when you know, I want to be the first to hear it. Even before Speed."

Jude smiled brightly and shook her head. She expected that from Sadie, so there was no surprise. "You just worry about your boyfriend," she bit back, letting the conversation end on their similar boy situations.


End file.
